If you can't throw money on a new car with a fancy AppLink, MyLink, Blue Link, Entune, or any other of the myriad "link" infotainment systems or iPhone docks all car makers are integrating these days, and you don't want to limit yourself to the auxiliary jack, or, heaven forbid, the cassette adapter, a new head unit is your best bet for the modernity of smartphones to arrive in your trusted old ride.

These now come with Bluetooth connectivity and are no longer expensive for the features they open in front of you via the Bluetooth radio on your smartphone. You can stream music, take phone calls, manage the stereo, and all goes through the speakers of your car instead of the wimpy unit on your phone, which, save for the HTC One, have proven to be mostly lousy. We are rounding up some of the more affordable Bluetooth-equipped head units that can communicate with your phone gizmo, but don't skimp on features.

For a bit over a Benjamin, Sony's MEXBT3100P offers two-way communication between your smartphone and your car stereo with the unique App Remote application downloadable from the Play or App Store.

It combines audio sources like your music player app, podcast and audiobook reader or navigation app in one single "hub", and lets you choose the input source, change tunes and set radio stations, and can even read text messages out loud for you through the car speakers, all without fumbling with the (typically) clunky head unit controls on the dashboard, but quickly picking stuff up from your familiar Android or iOS app interface.

As for features, it has all the usual bells and whistles like Bluetooth music output and calling, separate noise-canceling mic, USB port for charging/connecting, iPhone/iPad control compatibility, Pandora streaming and so on. The head unit also offers the hearty 7-band equalizer split from roughly 20 to 20,000 Hz of audible spectrum, and you get 17 actual watts of RMS per output channel, which, if used with good speakers, will make for a nice replacement of your often crappy stock stereo.

Sony MEXBT3100P Receiver with Bluetooth and Pandora ($129.99)

http://store.sony.com/p/Sony-Bluetooth-Car-Stereo/en/p/MEXBT3100P

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You can rarely go wrong with an Alpine car stereo, and this Bluetooth and USB-equipped unit doesn't disappoint with clear sound, noise-canceling microphone with adjustable gain, iPhone/iPad compatibility, and all the goods like Alpine’s DSP-Sound Expansion circuitry which makes certain you get the best sound while streaming music from Pandora, for example. Build quality is good and the interface intuitive as is customary for the brand.

For those who need a double DIN unit to fill that huge hole on their dashboards on the value-for-money price range, Pioneer's FH-X700BT 2-DIN CD receiver come with its own microphone, actually usable equalizer presets and "features Pioneer's MIXTRAX technology, built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming, Pandora radio ready for iPhone, and direct control of an iPod/iPhone via USB. The multi-line, multi-segmented LCD display with LED backlight is 35% larger than previous models and offers improved visibility and legibility. Customize your sound with a 5-band graphic equalizer, high-pass and low-pass filter settings, and subwoofer control."

This Kenwood Excelon is a bit pricier than the other options, but it's for the audiophile on the cheap, as it offers all the Bluetooth streaming bells and whistles, but adds six 4-volt RCA outputs for connecting woofers and amplifiers - that's two more outputs and two more volts per output than usual for a cleaner sound, not to mention it comes with double the usual year of warranty.

If you are born after the 80s, you won't really have a CD collection, so you can save a few bucks and directly go to this new JVC media receiver that has both Bluetooth and USB-AUX connectivity.

Not much more that you'll need, and the unit offers great features for the price like Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming, a detachable face, bright screen, and USB 1A connection that will charge your modern big-screen smartphone quicker. For Apple device owners, there is a two-way iPod/iPhone control, too.

For a bit over a Benjamin, Sony's MEXBT3100P offers two-way communication between your smartphone and your car stereo with the unique App Remote application downloadable from the Play or App Store.

It combines audio sources like your music player app, podcast and audiobook reader or navigation app in one single "hub", and lets you choose the input source, change tunes and set radio stations, and can even read text messages out loud for you through the car speakers, all without fumbling with the (typically) clunky head unit controls on the dashboard, but quickly picking stuff up from your familiar Android or iOS app interface.

As for features, it has all the usual bells and whistles like Bluetooth music output and calling, separate noise-canceling mic, USB port for charging/connecting, iPhone/iPad control compatibility, Pandora streaming and so on. The head unit also offers the hearty 7-band equalizer split from roughly 20 to 20,000 Hz of audible spectrum, and you get 17 actual watts of RMS per output channel, which, if used with good speakers, will make for a nice replacement of your often crappy stock stereo.

Best Bluetooth car stereo units for your smartphone

For a bit over a Benjamin, Sony's MEXBT3100P offers two-way communication between your smartphone and your car stereo with the unique App Remote application downloadable from the Play or App Store.

It combines audio sources like your music player app, podcast and audiobook reader or navigation app in one single "hub", and lets you choose the input source, change tunes and set radio stations, and can even read text messages out loud for you through the car speakers, all without fumbling with the (typically) clunky head unit controls on the dashboard, but quickly picking stuff up from your familiar Android or iOS app interface.

As for features, it has all the usual bells and whistles like Bluetooth music output and calling, separate noise-canceling mic, USB port for charging/connecting, iPhone/iPad control compatibility, Pandora streaming and so on. The head unit also offers the hearty 7-band equalizer split from roughly 20 to 20,000 Hz of audible spectrum, and you get 17 actual watts of RMS per output channel, which, if used with good speakers, will make for a nice replacement of your often crappy stock stereo.

You can rarely go wrong with an Alpine car stereo, and this Bluetooth and USB-equipped unit doesn't disappoint with clear sound, noise-canceling microphone with adjustable gain, iPhone/iPad compatibility, and all the goods like Alpine’s DSP-Sound Expansion circuitry which makes certain you get the best sound while streaming music from Pandora, for example. Build quality is good and the interface intuitive as is customary for the brand.

For those who need a double DIN unit to fill that huge hole on their dashboards on the value-for-money price range, Pioneer's FH-X700BT 2-DIN CD receiver come with its own microphone, actually usable equalizer presets and "features Pioneer's MIXTRAX technology, built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming, Pandora radio ready for iPhone, and direct control of an iPod/iPhone via USB. The multi-line, multi-segmented LCD display with LED backlight is 35% larger than previous models and offers improved visibility and legibility. Customize your sound with a 5-band graphic equalizer, high-pass and low-pass filter settings, and subwoofer control."

This Kenwood Excelon is a bit pricier than the other options, but it's for the audiophile on the cheap, as it offers all the Bluetooth streaming bells and whistles, but adds six 4-volt RCA outputs for connecting woofers and amplifiers - that's two more outputs and two more volts per output than usual for a cleaner sound, not to mention it comes with double the usual year of warranty.

If you are born after the 80s, you won't really have a CD collection, so you can save a few bucks and directly go to this new JVC media receiver that has both Bluetooth and USB-AUX connectivity.

Not much more that you'll need, and the unit offers great features for the price like Bluetooth for hands-free calling and audio streaming, a detachable face, bright screen, and USB 1A connection that will charge your modern big-screen smartphone quicker. For Apple device owners, there is a two-way iPod/iPhone control, too.

1 Comments

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Sony's MEX BT-3100 P/U is really an awesome car stereo... It display phones battery, and also phone's signal strength, so you know if you are able to make and receive phone calls...

Also if you have a Sony Xperia with android 4.1.2 it will show ID3Tag from songs so you can easily recognize what's playing (does not work on 4.0.4).

App remote is very good... but you have to "activate" it everytime you want to use it... and your phone have to be unlocked in order to be launched by the stereo... But I find it useful when I play a CD or radio and then the phone is the one that can act as a remote with screen info and such...

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